On Monday I visited Darlington Hippodrome for the very first time, and what a lovely venue it was, my only qualm was no vegan friendly milk, however lovely vegan sausage sandwiches so I’m not going to scold them. Anyway why am I here again? Oh yes, the review!
I attended this event with my lovely fellow blogger Debbie Stokoe from Room To Breathe Wellbeing and when we entered the theatre itself we both gave a mutual “Ah” of appreciation for the beautifully detailed set by costume and set designer Gabriella Slade. It truly caught my attention and imagination with it’s quirkily, topsy-turvy appearance. We all know I love a prop and this set was a treasure trove of props and bits and bobs there to help bring the story of the Sherman family to life. The most exciting feature at that point was the two pianos on stage at which point I guessed that our performers would also be accompanying themselves which I was eager to see.
I must say the show was not what I expected. I expected characters to follow and having the performers actually play the characters of the family with the songs of the brothers inter-woven into the story, however that was not the case. The whole show was a narration with song and movement which for me was a slight disappointment, particularly in the first 20 minutes of the show I found it hard to get into, perhaps that was just because of my expectation of something different. However this was to do with the way the show was written and nothing to do with the performers/musicians who were to say the least phenomenal! I understand that Robby Sherman son of Robert Sherman wrote the book for the show and choosing an actor to play such a close member of your family was maybe not what he wanted anyone to do, however in my opinion I believe doing that would have given the show a real extra spark and maybe even a stronger chance of longevity.
What makes this show a wonderful experience in my opinion is the fantastic performances from the performers/musicians, the wonderful songs of The Sherman Family and the fantastic vocal and musical arrangements by musical director Ben Stock and musical arranger and supervisor Rowland Lee! Because the harmonies where so tight, the vocals so beautiful alongside such high energy and emotion put into every single movement and sound, I really began to invest myself into what I was watching. I was blown away by the sheer amount of talent on the stage with Mark Read on piano and Ben Stock on both piano and Ukulele as well as both singing and dancing too. And not forgetting the rest of the cast Sophie-Louise Dawn, Glen Facey and Jenna Innes who where equally as talented. I must however give a special mention to Mark Read who for me stood out for giving a simply amazing performance even within such a talented cast.
Where the movement was concerned, basically I feel like there could have been more. Because this is a dance blog I feel like I have to be honest and say that there is simply not much dance within the show. The staging, dance and movement that is within the show is wonderfully executed and staged beautifully such as the movement of the pianos and arranging and placement of the performers, there were also some token big moves such as the flip pictured above. However I feel like some of the cast would be capable of so much more, Glen Facey and Jenna Innes in particular. I would have definitely enjoyed more going on within the more high energy songs, I understand that may have had an effect on the challenging vocals but in that case the show may have done well to have maybe one or two extra cast members (strong dancers) to really impact the staging in those bigger, high energy numbers.
As it is this show was very entertaining and full of brilliant songs, there is no getting round that the Sherman Family and their story are more than deserving of a show in their honour. However I would have loved to see the characters actually portrayed within the show and had less narration. Also as a dance blogger I would have loved to see more dance within the piece. But I will say that this show is definitely worth seeing for the wonderful performances, music and general feel good atmosphere. I was certainly singing by the end of the show that’s for sure. So If you want something light hearted for all the family that is impossible not to sing along to and tap your feet, this is the show for you!
For more performances of A Spoonful Of Sherman visit their website here
To see what else Darlington Hippodrome have on this season see their website here.
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